Credible sources are telling us that North Carolina-based consultants and political operatives are trying to persuade former US Rep. Renee Ellmers (R) to make a run for the #2 spot in state government in 2020. Ellmers, you may recall, lost a primary race to fellow Republican House member George Holding in 2016.

We’re told that a meeting, involving Ellmers or her representative(s), is schedule for Thursday.

She came to power in the 2010 Tea Party wave by upsetting Democrat Bob Etheridge. After running as a Tea Partier, Ellmers made a beeline to House leadership and forgot about all the folks back home. Ellmers became despised by conservatives. Even Carter Wrenn, the consultant who helped her initially get elected, defected to her primary opponent in 2016.

One ace up Ellmers’ sleeve would be her close friendship with state Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett). His political and fundraising connections could certainly ease her transition from the federal arena to the state level.

And with at least TWO conservative favorites already looking at the race, the primary’s conservative vote could be fragmented enough to allow someone more favorable to the establishment — like Ellmers — to slip in and steal the nomination.

Is this another Shumaker production? Will Ellmers bring in her Congressional boyfriend Kevin McCarthy to campaign for her? Running this fakir would sure give the Constitution Party a field day as Ellmers is radioactive among conservative voters.

The mention of the Trump endorsement of Ellmers is a sore point for conservatives. Trump has generally done a good job in endorsements in open seat races, but has an unfortunate tendency to endorse establishment liberal incumbents when they have serious conservative primary challengers. I have seen John Kelly blamed for that, so maybe it will change now. His most recent bad endorsement was backing Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi special US Senate primary against conservative State Senator Chris McDaniel.. Not only does Hyde-Smith have a swampy background as a lobbyist but she was a Democrat not that long ago and was an active campaigner for Hillary Clinton for President in 2008.

If Ellmers runs, conservatives do not need to be split between two candidates.